Functional Reference Platforms

What are functional reference platforms?

Functional Reference Platforms (FRP) are NCS' standard hardware appliance servers that can be configured easily and quickly to provide you with initial test platform(s). They are the basic building blocks upon which we can build fully configured systems in accordance with your performance specifications. You will be able to use them to test, optimize, and finalize computing power, disk capacity, memory, operating system, etc. They are vehicles for you to tune and optimize the performance of your applications. They can be thought of as the "approximate" prototype.

In most cases, we believe we will be able to analyze your requirements and select and finalize the internal electronic components of the appliance that you will eventually introduce to the market. These components may include system board, CPU, power supply, storage devices, etc. Finalizing the selection of these components at the outset of the project will help cut down testing time and expenditures. Our goal is to shorten your time to market as much as possible.

While you are working on the test platform, we will be devoting most of our attention to your mechanical and industrial design specifications to develop the prototype. The length of time it takes for us to develop the prototype will depend largely on the extent of the modifications to the Functional Reference Platform that you desire. In some cases the modifications can be as minor as a new front panel design. In other cases, it can be as extensive as a new chassis design. In any event, the prototype will meet your specifications in each and every respect, from functional, to electrical, to mechanical.

Please note that all our FRPs are based on industry-standard components. They are designed to run widely available operating system platforms such as Windows®, Linux, and BSD.